User Reviews

Weaknesses: Sidewalls too thin for rocky trails, got a sidewall tear the first time I took it on a trail (Papago park in Arizona).

Bottom Line:

This came on the rear wheel of a new 2013 Specialized Stumpjumper. It took less than 20 miles on a barely rocky trail to get a nasty 1" sidewall cut. Not sure if this was some sort of defect or the sidewalls are just too thin for riding rocky Arizona trails. I've had Kenda Karma tires on my other bike for years and never gotten a sidewall tear; the tread wears off them before the sidewall has any problems.

Weaknesses: tread pattern looks similar to a walmart tire. I just thought it was strange. but hey it works!

Bottom Line:

I went from fast track "s-works" (2010 model) tubeless (tore it up due to thin walls - put a tube in it and kept riding till I wore the tread down) to the "Control" version to go tubeless again. The control version is much tougher than the s-works version. Yeah its a few grams heavier but Ill take it.
I run a 2.2 Captain on the front and the fast trak 2.0 on the rear on my 2010 Epic Comp. Amazing control with this setup!

Not to contradict the other reviewers, this is a decent tread design, but I found out the hard way that the light weight equals a flimsy sidewall, So, if you're running it tubeless and riding hard, then "burp" the tire, you can very easily tear the sidewall.

I was pleased that my LBS replaced the month old tire with a similar Specialized tire (Purgatory), and hope it holds up better. They told me that the sidewall designations Specialized uses are "Control" for the lightest & thinnest, "Grid" for heavier & more durable, and "Butcher" for super heavy & bulletproof sidewalls.

Probably will go back to WTB tires when these wear out, I've had better luck with their TCS tires.

I was looking for the same thing everyone else was looking for, just enough grip to go as fast as I want but have crazy low rolling resistance, you know, the perfect tire. I had read about the new FEA designed tread of the new Fast Track and wanted to give them a try. They were over 100g lighter than the Captain Controls they replaced, I decided to run a 26x2.0 that were about 500g each.

The new FEA design has a slightly different profile when inflated than the previous Fast Traks, there is a siping groove cut into the tread blocks that effectively make the outer corner treads more rigid so that you don't miss cornering grip as much and helps to smooth the transition from having traction to having no traction. One of my complaints with some of the previous tires were that they had great grip up until the point when they had NO traction and the bike was coming out from under you as you grabbed your ass flying off into the woods. The new Fast Traks start to slip a little without giving it all up which allows you to make adjustments to bring it back in line before you lose it.

Compared to the Captain Controls they replaced I don't miss the grip the taller and more aggressive treads of the Captain provided, the new Fast Trak has plenty of grip, if you know how to use it. What I mean is that this is a fast trail tire but you need to be competent enough to know how to generate climbing grip by moving around on the bike, shifting weight, etc. so that the tires can do their job. Where as something like the Captain is a good climber for anyone the Fast Trak requires some rider skill to get it done. I needed a good, affordable, daily use tire that was light and fast enough for the occasional race and this fit the bill for me.

There are certainly lighter and faster tires out there but for the price and ease of use as a daily tire these are great, but may not be for everyone.

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